Darkened Captain
by Jack Leto
Summary: With his life shattered, broken by the one he claimed to have once loved, he returns to the Soul Society a different man. His name is Ichigo Kurosaki, Captain of the 5th.


_ This will be my first Bleach story, so feel free to correct me upon any misgivings I have. I will say this, there is a reason for the 'power levels' as it were. This story will not be told through a OC's view point, that's merely an introduction._

**Chapter One, Difference in Strength**

**Asuna** growled, dislodging her foot from the gut of her roommate. "Every... single... damn... day..." Throwing back the covers of her futon, she stood and loomed over the other girl.

"Ow! What the hell was that for Asuna!?" The brunette demanded, clutching her stomach as her deep brown eyes glared up at ginger-haired girl.

"Waking me up." She replied simply, her annoyance already fading with the successfully executed revenge. When the smaller girl didn't react, she turned to get ready for the day.

"Damn supernatural strength..." The brunette muttered, wincing as she pulled on her Shihakushō. "Just trying to make sure she gets up for the day... but nooo, she's Asuna! The crazy, sadistic, fricken ninja girl..."

"Oi, Aoi!" A voice called over from the open door. Standing there was Asuna in her red Shihakushō with her long sun-like hair tied back in a perfect ponytail, her green eyes sparkling with amusement. "How long are you just going to stare off into space? It's the last day, come on!"

Stopping to pick up her Asuchi from the common room, Asuna barely slowed down as she made her way through the living halls, expecting her roommate, Aoi to merely catch up as she leapt and weaved through groggy trainees. If one thing could be said about Asuna, it was that she had tremendous physical abilities.

Living true to her expectations, Aoi levelled with her as she made it to the gated compound that was the Shin'ō Academy. Passing through the immense wooden doors laid into the wall confusion sparked among both trainees. Grinding to a halt, the pair looked at each other before looking back to where almost everyone in the academy was milling around, nervously chatting amongst themselves in the courtyard of the academy.

"Aoi, you know anything right?" Asuna asked her friend nervously. "What's going on?"

"I... I don't know." Aoi frowned, Asuna could see her dark eyes clouding with confusion. There wasn't much the brunette didn't seem to know, and when she became confused like this it was hardly ever good. "I would imag- Where are you going?"

Asuna turned back from where she had started toward the crowd. "I'm going to ask someone, duh." She rolled her eyes. "If you don't know something then just find out, don't randomly speculate."

Blushing, the brunette followed her friend, jogging toward where they had sported the rest of their advanced Zanjutsu class hunched around in a group.

"Mashiro! The hell's going on?" Asuna asked bluntly, pushing some lower years aside. Their glares lasted for about a second before they realized who had pushed them. Blushing and murmuring apologies, they ran without the girl even noticing them.

Aoi just blinked at them, before shrugging it off and diving into the conversation behind her pig-headed friend.

"Asuna? Did you just get out of bed or something?" Daiki asked incredulously.

Daiki was a tall spectacled boy with brown hair that seemed to get a shade darker every time Asuna spoke to him. Despite his thin physique, he was one of the most capable fighters in the class, coupled with his 'death glasses' technique that he seemed to have unconsciously mastered, he was someone to be feared in battle.

"Maybe..." Asuna grinned.

"Why am I not surprised..." He muttered. "Well morning to you, and you two Aoi, did you have to drag her out of bed again?"

"Y-Yeah." Aoi stuttered, blushing brightly. This was one of the main reason's Asuna hung around with him; watching her friend blush madly.

"So I'll ask again: Why the hell is everyone walking around like lost puppies?" She all but demanded, still grinning sweetly.

"You really don't know?" The boy asked seriously.

"Nope."

"You're hopeless... both of you." He shook his head slightly, smiling lightly. "Word is some guy is coming to take a Captain's exam, apparently he's not even a part of the Gotei 13 _and_ he's doing trial by combat."

"Wow... wait you mean, on academy grounds?!" Asuna asked, suddenly excited.

"Hmm... You haven't even heard the best bit." Daiki enthused, a similar albeit more restrained smile crossing his lips. It didn't take much to work out the pair's love for fighting.

"Go on..." Aoi asked, gathering the courage to speak as she lightly glared at Asuna. A look that simply said 'back off, please?'. The boy blinked at the interaction before shrugging it off.

"The Captain the guy is facing..." Daiki smirked, adjusting his glasses and blinding the pair of girls. "Is **Kenpachi Zaraki."**

The name alone seemed to drop the temperature in the entire courtyard, all those involved in the conversation or even just listening in, shivered involuntarily. It was a well known fact that the Academy had a large rumour mill, working hard to provide its students with the most wildly exaggerated stories it could. But even so, the tales of the eleventh Kenpachi were not something that needed exaggeration, they were fact... and they were terrifying.

"W-Who's the challenger?" Asuna gulped, a cold sweat running down her back. She could almost imagine the fight now, suddenly feeling a lot worse about the prospect. It was one thing to watch a good fight, it was another to watch a one-sided slaughter.

"That's the thing." A new voice spoke up, a boy slipped through the crowd by the side of Daiki, dressed in a blue Shihakushō. He was tall, easily taller than Daiki himself, with a rugged build and matching appearance. Coal black hair fell around his face wildly, natural spikes flaking off in all directions. His dark blue eyes seemed to have a life of their own, darting everywhere at once. He reminded Asuna of a wild dog, rugged and dangerous.

"No one knows..." He grinned creepily, almost as if he were telling a horror story. "they're a complete mystery, though some people think it's that Ryoka from two months ago."

"T-That's gotta just be a rumour, right?" Aoi asked hesitantly, almost hoping that the boy would confirm it, a lot of people in the Rukongai supported the Ryoka. They were the ones that came and put the Shinigami in their places, despite how impossible it had seemed.

They were folk heroes, men and women of legend.

"Eh..." The boy shrugged. "Hell if I know, there are all kinds of rumours flying about. I'm Yoshirou by the way."

"Nice to meet you?" Asuna almost asked, she had assumed that the boy was a friend of Daiki's from the way he had just butted into the conversation, but behind his glasses Daiki looked just as perplexed as they did.

"I overheard your conversation and thought 'what the hell, I'm bored anyways'." He shrugged again, running a hand through his wild hair.

"Okay...? So anyway, I'm Asuna." Asuna grinned, her friend rolling her eyes behind her.

"Aoi..."

"Daiki, a pleasure." The spectacled boy greeted, eying the taller boy, he just smiled back lazily. "How come we've never met you before?"

"Dunno, you guys graduating this year?" He drawled.

"Yeah, this is our 5th year but we're all skipping the last." Asuna stated proudly. The boy blinked back in response before shrugging it off.

"Well this is my second year here, I'm graduating into the Fifth though." He threw off casually, not even noticing the looks of awe the three trainees were giving him.

"Y-You're graduating in just two years!?" Daiki shouted.

"You might wanna turn it down, you're attracting an awful lot of attention." The boy grinned. "But yeah, I am. That's why I've got high hopes that this new Captain is that Ryoka."

"That's kind of incredible..." Asuna trailed off, thinking about the last five years of her life, putting all that into one year. "Wait, why do you want this new Captain to be a Ryoka?"

"Is she kidding?" The boy asked looking at the two now on either side of the ginger-haired girl, for the first time he didn't seem half asleep. "Those Ryoka singlehandedly took on the entire of the Gotei 13, the only Shinigami member among them took on two Captains and won both times. He even achieve Ban release in two days... If that kind of guy became a Captain, do you have any idea how strong he would become in just a few short years?"

"Tha-"

"-THEY'RE HERE!" Someone yelled, cutting the spectacled boy off mid sentence. Murmurs of excitement went off all around them, as the entire crowd seemed to come alive. Not knowing what was going on, the four quickly became swept up in a way of students, all pushing and shoving to get to the middle of the courtyard.

"Ugh, dammit stop shoving!" Asuna growled, losing sight of her friends. After a seemingly endless amount of pushing and shoving, she found her tossed unceremoniously out of the crowd. Landing on her hands and knees, she growled as she looked around.

Paling quickly, she jumped to her feet and walled herself against the line of trainees that had formed on either side of the courtyard, spanning from the Gate all the way to an arena like area that had been set up in the middle of the courtyard.

"I can't believe it..." A voice whispered in awe. "...I-It's the Captain-Commander!" Straightening further, Asuna looked down the line and sure enough, the Haori of the first billowed in the wind. In it walked the man that had held the position of Captain-Commander for thousand years; Genryūsai Yamamoto.

From his battle hardened appearance to the thunder of his walking stick upon the tiled floor, everything about him seemed to radiate a raw strength. It was nothing to do with Reiatsu; simply overwhelming, undeniable power.

_**Tap**_

The second that sound resounded throughout the courtyard, an awed silence washed over the crowd, watching silently as the strongest Shinigami in existence strolled through the Academy's gates, flanked by the academy's director and his Lieutenant; Chōjirō Sasakibe of the First.

As the entourage made their way through the ranks of trainees, a second group could be made out. Walking in the footsteps of the Captain-Commander, a pink Kimono fluttering behind a smirking demon, his face hidden by the straw hat he wore. At his side a well-held woman lightly stepped, a book held against her side.

Murmurs filtered through the crowd as the Captain and Lieutenant of the Eighth followed in behind the Captain-Commander. One by one the Captains and their Lieutenants walked the path of the First, the Thirteenth following the Eighth and the Second following after. Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, tenth, even the Eleventh and the Twelfth followed after.

Even if the Eleventh was expected with all the rumours flying around, Captain Kurotsuchi was notorious for being buried in the midst of his work unless it directly involved him.

Suddenly another round of whispers spread across the courtyard, more frantic this time as the pushing resumed.

_ "Is that...?"_

_ "...The new Captain!?"_

Straining to get a glimpse, more and more unease spread across the trainees as the Captain's formed a line at the bottom of the ranks of students, as if waiting for another to join them. In more ways than one.

A new presence spread across the assembled trainees, reaching Asuna and washing over her like a wave. It was no trick Reiatsu, even with all the Captains here she could barely feeling anything from them, but this... This felt exactly like the Captain-Commander had; it was something unexplainable, and yet undeniable. Sheer force of presence.

Looking down the line, Asuna felt as if time itself was swelling in this man's presence. Everything seemed to drain away until the only thing she could hear was the beat of sandals against stone, her heart thumping in her chest.

At last he came into her view, walking amongst the immense crowd of trainees hushed into an awed silence, as if none of it mattered. Orange hair flaked off in natural spikes as it fell freely to his eyes, deep hazel orbs filled with fire. He was tall, more so than most men. But what truly set him aside from everyone else was his lean, well defined body hidden beneath a black Shihakushō. It clung to his upper body before falling out over his thin Hakama like a long coat. A sliver steel sash held the coat together at his waist, its tied off ends fluttering in the wind beside him.

Across his back lay the black blade that was his Zanpakutō, hidden inside a smooth black sheathe; its shape and size matching that of a traditional Tachi, its blood red handle wrapped inside black cloth, chequered into a diamond pattern. A sliver cross guard marred the line between blade and hilt, matching the silver end cap that rested on the end of the blade.

_"...Ryoka..."_

It was only a mere whisper, but it spread like wildfire, unease rippling through the ranks of students in seconds. The students behind her started to bustle about, whispering amongst themselves frantically.

_"Human..."_

Asuna didn't even feel it coming, the sudden thrust came from behind, just falling to the floor seemed to take an age.

_Thump._

The light beat of straw on stone stopped as she found herself on her hands and knees, staring at the hakama of the Captain-to-be. Her breath hitched as she found herself looking up higher and higher, barely aware of the deafening silence that had fell upon the courtyard.

Hazel eyes locked with her own green orbs and for a second she could see the determination in them, raging like an inferno, but there was something else in them; _sadness_, calm and longing.

"...What's your name?" The words sent a jolt through her, as almost every reflex in her body screamed at her to run back into the line, but those eyes, they held her there like no Kidō could.

"A-Asuna... Kurosaki Asuna." The words left her mouth without her even meaning them too, the man's calm voice seemed to just entice them out of her. Surprise shone in the man's eyes for a brief moment before it vanished, only to be replaced by a twinkle of amusement.

He smiled and Asuna could have later sworn that she had heard swoons behind her. "Well Asuna, would you do me the honour of having you walk by my side? This seems like a pairs only event."

Asuna could feel her eyes widening comically as he offered out his hand. Hesitantly taking it, he lifted her to her feet before walking off, leaving her standing there in her own world.

"You coming?" It was a simple question but it did the trick, snapping out of her trance she caught up with him, still holding no idea what she was doing. She was a aware of the hundreds of eyes watching her, some filled with disbelief, others simple jealousy. She even spotted Aoi looking at her utter disbelief with the other three she had been talking to.

Keeping her head down she tried just to follow the Captain-to-be, even the Captains and their Lieutenants were watching her as she stuck by the side of the orange-haired Shinigami.

Wordlessly the rank broke apart, the Captains spacing themselves out around the battle ground, their Lieutenants glued to their sides. The man she was following stopped at the start of the battlefield, barely even noticing the Captains or even the masses of trainees surrounding them.

"I know your scared Asuna... But just wait right there, I'll make sure you stay safe." The Shinigami smiled lightly, barely glancing around to her. Across the field a mammoth Captain waited, engaged in a staring match with the Orange-haired Shinigami.

"I-I'm no-"

"-Heh... Heh, he ha HA** HAHA HAHAHAHA!"** The Captain almost screamed out his laughter, cutting resounding across the field like a wave. **"How long are you going to make me wait!?"**

Yellow reiatsu exploded from him, battering the Captains and all those behind them. Acting quickly the nine remaining Captains drew their Zanpakutō and dug them into the soil before them. The air shimmered and glowed a pale blue, extending into the heavens, a barrier, one of such immense strength that it needed Captains to maintain.

The man Asuna stood behind touched the barrier, it seemed to shimmer before thick, black reishi spread across it, gathering in the corners of the barrier reinforcing them with thick black pillars.

The Shinigami Captains seemed to be as surprised as the trainees, wasting energy maintaining a barrier meant to contain his own fight. That alone was far beyond what was expected of him, but it was fight against Kenpachi Zaraki, a man fabled for his strength. Most would saw it as an act of arrogance, but Asuna and the Captains knew better, she had glimpsed at his strength and it was not something to be underestimated.

Stepping through the barrier he faced off against the Kenpachi, still grinning wildly as he tested his blade.

"..." The moment he walked onto the battlefield something changed in the Orange-haired man, gone was the playful composure, in its place something akin to calm grace remained. Quiet and most certainly dangerous.

"Tch, ignoring me? Heh, good... means you're focused on the fight!" The Kenpachi grinned, his sword coming to rest beside him as he tensed.

His opponent merely raised a hand, gesturing for him to take first strike. A few gasps arose as the muttering resumed, but they were quelled by a fierce look from the Kenpachi.

"Enough interruptions... LET'S FIGHT! **ICHIGO KUROOSAKI!"** The Captain roared, moving in a blur to the calmly awaiting man.

To Asuna time seemed to stop; _why the Captain-to-be had seemed surprised for a moment when she told him her name, why he singled her out from everyone just because she fell in his path. It all made sense in some distorted way. Were they related? Or were their last names just a coincidence?_

She didn't get any more time to think as the Captain appeared before his victim in a blur, his Zanpakutō sliced through the air at speeds Asuna couldn't even perceive. She wanted to scream at him to move, but she wasn't even fast enough for that.

Just before it would have ripped open the man's neck the blade stopped cold, hanging in the air. Asuna froze, she couldn't even comprehend what just happened. The Captain struggled to pull the blade away, but the hand that had stopped the blade merely secured its grip, holding the Captain steadfast.

"The hell...?" The Captain muttered. Before he felt a palm on his chest.

"Hado 33, _Ōkasen."_ The yellow light bloomed across the battlefield for the second time, exploding into the Kenpachi as a beam of pure yellow fire. Somehow placing his Zanpakutō between him and the beam, he flew across the field before slamming into the barrier with a painful grunt. The yellow explosion blinded everyone from the sight of Kenpachi, but it was obvious to anyone that had met the Kenpachi before, that such an attack wouldn't even phase him.

Sure enough, as the light cleared the man stepped out, stretching off the attack. Facing off his opponent, he grunted once, acknowledging the blow. He dragged his blade out from where it had lodged itself into the barrier, before starting towards his opponent.

The man mirrored his actions, drawing the black blade from its sheath as he began walking toward the Captain, speeding up slowly until their movements went beyond the level any of the trainees could keep up with.

The blur of the Captain was met with a flash in a dance of sparks. Pulling apart, the two met in a series of clashes, sparks and reishi exploding between them, the sheer pressure blowing apart the floor at their feet. Even with the barrier in place Asuna could practically taste the waves of strength rolling off them.

Pulling apart to a safe distance, the two studied each other.

"Enough dancing... **LET'S FIGHT!"** Disappearing in a whirl of movement, the Kenpachi sprinted towards where the orange haired waited, the same calm expression that had been on his face since the beginning of the fight still present.

Not waiting for the Captain to reach him, the orange-haired Shinigami disappeared before meeting him in a crash of blades. Pulling back, the two struck at each other, parrying and attacking in a matched bout of swordsmanship. The very air itself being blown away as they clashed over and over, ducking and weaving through each other's attacks, neither side giving an inch.

Grinning, Kenpachi swept his blade across his opponents chest, only for his blade to find thin air. Looking around frantically, he found his opponent standing across the battlefield from him, staring him down.

"You said enough dancing..." Ichigo spoke, pointing his sword to his opponent. "Stop holding back and face me like you mean it." Black Reiatsu exploded from him as he swung his blade in a arc. Sheer force rolled off it like a wave, shattering the stone floor before it, a wave of debris sailing sky high.

The Kenpachi's grin faltered for a moment as his eyes widened, for the first time in the fight, Asuna could see fear flashing in his eyes. He shook it off quickly but his opponent had already taken advantage of the lapse.

He _appeared_ in front of the Kenpachi. "Don't lose focus." In an instant strike, his blade crashed into the Captain's in a downward slash, pushing it back in the blink of an eye. Sliding across the floor, the Kenpachi looked down at his wound with sick fascination.

"You..." Watching the blood drip from his wound to his free hand, the Kenpachi grinned. **"... GIVE ME MORE!"** He ripped off his eye patch and his reiatsu flared monstrously. Asuna could only gawp as a pillar of pure yellow reiatsu pierced the sky itself, lighting up the world around them.

Both sides took off as one, meeting in the middle of the hall with a resounding boom, the strength of the two tearing up the Stone tiles like paper. For the second time; it was a draw.

Pulling back, the two struck again and again, fighting sheer strength with more strength. Each strike resounding like thunder in the courtyard, deafening the trainees with the sheer intensity of it all.

To the untrained eye, it would seem that they were even, but Asuna knew better, especially from her front row seat. With every clash they made, the Kenpachi built up more wounds, each surrendering his blood to the opponent's black blade.

Both sides withdrew from the clash, falling out of their stances.

**"Let's end this Kurosaki**, I'll show you what I left out last time." The Kenpachi said seriously, sliding into a mutual stance; levelling his blade in his centre. He placed a second hand on its handle, his reiatsu flaring back to life.

The orange haired Shinigami just nodded wordlessly, placing himself into a drawing stance. He sheathed his blade in his spare hand, holding it short of the guard. Lowing his stance even more, he looked up at the Kenpachi with a clear message in his eyes; _After you._

The tension across the courtyard visibly built as the Kenpachi slowly raised the blade over his head, every pant, every nervous twitch; it could all be heard.

Reaching the top of its arc, the man's reiatsu spiked, bathing the academy in its yellow light once more as he brought the blade down; a thunderous wave of yellow reiatsu spilling from its edge, tearing apart the air itself as it flew towards the waiting form of Ichigo, barely visible in the light.

Reaching its target, the attack went off in an immense explosion of yellow light, ripping apart the barrier behind him and exposing the trainees to the full weight of his reiatsu. It blew both trainees and Lieutenants alike off their feet, staggering even the Captains.

The worst part was; Asuna was in the epicentre of it all, she was in ground zero. For some reason she couldn't bring herself to move, to fear... she simply remembered the man's words.

_I'll keep you safe._

She found herself trusting in them as the yellow reiatsu washed over her, the air pressure ripping past her. It was chaos, but she didn't feel any of it, because standing in front of was the man that had gave her his word that she would be safe. reiatsu circling her as it left the man like blackened wings.

"Sorry about this Kenpachi, but with the barrier gone... **I can't hold back." **In an instant he simply gone, his black reiatsu remaining around her like a shield.

A single sound cut through the chaos; the faint sound of metal on lacquered wood, the sound of a sheathing blade. "Zanjutsu... Senmaioroshi."

"Wha-" No more words escaped the Kenpachi's mouth as blood erupted from him; thousands of lacerations throwing blood into a mist over his body.

Grunting, he collapsed.

Shock spread across the ranks of gathered souls, complete awe settling over the trainees, even Asuna couldn't bring herself to belief it. She had thought they were equals, but the Kenpachi couldn't even react to the man's last strike, it was impossible. The difference was just too great.

Slowly the residing reiatsu drained away into a deathly silence, Lieutenants and trainees alike picking themselves from the ground and walking back to the edges of the arena. They were bad shape, the trainees more so than the Lieutenants but anyone could see that the sheer pressure had taken its toll.

They could only watch in silent awe as the man stood over the Captain, his hand falling from his Zanpakutō. He turned away.

"Captain Unohana, if you would please." He spoke, his voice once again calm and just a bit playful.

"At once." She spoke softly before walking towards the felled Captain. The man faced off with the Captains that had withdrew from the barrier and reformed their rank, only the Lieutenants remained in their places, more out of shock than anything else, but they did help to maintain line of awe filled trainees.

"Is that enough then, old man?" He asked, facing the Captain-Commander. The Captains shifted but only one dared step out against the man.

"How dar-" The nobleman's voice cut off suddenly, the Captain-Commander's arm lay across his torso, holding him back. Captain Kuchiki swallowed thickly before stepping back into line.

The Captain-Commander and the man studied each other for a while before seemingly coming to an understanding. The pair dipped their heads briefly, a small show of respect for one another.

"Hmm, given the circumstances there was never any doubt Ichigo Kurosaki. From today onwards you are a Captain of the Gotei 13, choose your Division carefully, you are first and only to be given such an option after all." The ancient Shinigami's words resounded, finally bringing the attention from the now cared for body of the Kenpachi.

"You have until noon tomorrow, then we gather upon Sōkyoku hill. The final ceremony shall take place there." With that, he disappeared faster than Asuna could comprehend, the Captains seemed to be doing a lot of that recently.

Like a starting shot had been fired, the Captains separated with their Lieutenants, walking off into the crowd or simply disappearing, until only a few remained with the newly appointed Captain. A certain pink haired Lieutenant bounced over to the injured man, a bright smile on her face completely out of place with the situation. _Her Captain's injured and she's happy?_

Slowly the crowd of trainees broke apart as well, some heading back to the dorms and others gathering in groups around the area, waiting for the courage to speak to the remaining Captains.

"Asuna!" She heard an unmistakable yell. With a start she realised she had just been standing in the same spot as everyone departed, trapped in her own little world. Turning she saw Aoi walking toward her with the two boys. "You lucky girl! Getting to walk beside that man..."

Asuna resisted the urge to laugh, trust Aoi to get excited when it came to handsome men.

"Yeah..."


End file.
